Three more staff members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) were killed in Gaza on Monday, the UN confirmed.
This brings the total number of UNRWA personnel killed since the conflict began to over 300, marking a devastating toll on humanitarian workers.
“Tragically, three more UNRWA staff were killed today,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a press briefing in New York.
Most of the agency’s personnel, according to UNRWA, were killed alongside their families, reportedly in strikes carried out by Israeli forces.
“The vast majority were killed by the Israeli Army with their children and loved ones—whole families wiped out,” said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
He noted that several staff members were killed while on duty, delivering aid and services in Gaza’s most desperate communities.
“Nothing justifies these killings,” Lazzarini declared. “Impunity will lead to more killing. Those responsible must be held accountable.”
Founded in 1949, UNRWA provides vital support to nearly 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Since March 2, Israel has blocked all crossings into Gaza, cutting off food, medicine, and humanitarian supplies, worsening the enclave’s humanitarian crisis.
An estimated 2.4 million people in Gaza now rely entirely on international aid to survive, according to human rights and UN reports.
Israel launched its offensive on Gaza following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, with over 53,000 Palestinians killed to date, most of them women and children.
As the war continues, the rising death toll among aid workers underscores the deepening tragedy and the urgent call for accountability.